The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-09-10
WANT PROTECTION.
The Inhabitants Of the Seal
Islands
ASK THE GOVERNMENT FOR IT
"The Department Cannot Place Too
High Estimates of the Value of
The Seal Property"-Etc.
The Seal Islands Want Protection

Ehe Seal Islands Want Protection
WASHINGTON, September 9.-The an
nual report of Geo. r. Tingle, Treasury
Agent in charge OF the Alaska Sea-
Island, has been received. The agent
says the time has come when the lessees
of the islands should be an thorized 10
employ additional natives to teach
them the business of sealing, as death
has played sad havoc with the native
sealers OF the island. The system OF
payment to natives is criticized fnr It's
bad effect upon them, and it is :
that it would be Justice to allow the H.
tives of Ounalaska to be employed anC
paid on the same footing with the ma
tives of St. Paul Island. The mortality
among the natives OF St. Paul is said to
have been very large, while it is re-
markable fact that not a single death
from disease has occurred among
the white inhabitants since the transfer
OF Alaska TO the United States.
From measurements made by Assist
ant Agent Noyes it appear that the
grand total of breeding seals on ST.
Paul and st. George Islands last spring
was 6,357 $50, but in transmitting this
statement Mr.. Tingle adds that re-
duction of one-fourth would bring the
number closer to the truth. Whilst on
two rockeries there is some falling off,
1t is certain that this vast mum Der of
animals is stillin existence. Mr.. Tingle
says: The Department cannot place
too high estimates on the value of this
seal property, and the government, |
Dt 70 i
which would make it possible to &C
rookeries and seal life, which under
iudicious management and protection
by law, may be persisted IN in
definitely"
A large pert Of the report is devoted
to the history of the seizure of the ma
rauding We sells by revenue cutters.
The agent says that after the departure
Of the revenue cutters, last fall, large
number OF seals we're taken by British
marauders and the skins sold in Vic
torie. One vessel sent her boats TO the
rookeries, but they were fired upon by
the natives and two men were wounded.
This fact became known generally
among the marauders, and served TO
keep them at o safe distance from the
rookeries. Up to the 1st OF August,
four schooners had been seen operating
around st. Paul island this season.
One of these vessels, the angel
Dolly, of San Francisco. was
seized by an agent, who boarded
her with help of the Alaska Commerce
Uompany's steamer st. Paul. The
vessel was in distress as the captain had
been accidentally shot and one man
wounded while leaving Otter Island,
where they had been killing seals. This
made the seventh capture this season,
the revenue cutter Bush having previ-
0usly taken six, which were sent to Sitka
for trial. They were the American
schooner Challenge, with 100 skins; the
British schooner Ann Beck $50 skins;
u. II. SaUyer, 40 skins; Doiphln. 900
skins, Grace seventy six the American
schooner LOttje H., 1917 skins. The agent
suggests the adVisabiIty of providing 2
small steamship armed with rified can
non, as sChOOners were killing seal in
plain view of St. Paul Island while the
Rush was protecting st. George Island.
1t is said that 10000 skins would De a
low estimate of those taken this season
by marauders, and, he adds, the signlf-
canoe OF these figures will be under
stood, when the fact is borne in mind
that only one in ten OF the seals killed
is secured In supplemental report,
dated San Francisco. August 18th, the
agent says on the 18th OF August the
American schooner NmG, with $50 SKINS,
was brought into port, having been
seized by the Rush. She reported the
seizure of the British schooners Mary
Elien, 395 skins, and Hired Il dams, 400
skins. The cutter also captured 100
skins landed on an Island by the Brit
ish schooner Latte F1irfeM in Behrjng
Sea, making p total OF 5 800 skins se'zed
during the season. The number OF seals
killed during the year by the lessee was
1911 S29, and the nnrber Of skins &C
copied as GOOD was 100000.